Well days like Saturday don’t come round anywhere near often enough do they? Not sure how many times the Mackems have been spanked at home whilst we’ve comprehensively dismantled opposition on their own patch in my lifetime, but it’s certainly not enough. The bus journey home was a magnificent one. Saturday night was one of those rare occasions where you want to watch ‘Football First’ about 3 times in a row, have a little sleep, then watch it again.

*Very rare optimism alert/spoiler*

I certainly would have taken 7 points from the last 3 games, (had privately written off Man City away – and all the other home and away fixtures vs the ‘big’ 6) I probably thought it would have been, beat West Ham and draw at Villa, but, a win on Saturday would have us ¼ of the way towards 40 points, leaving us with 33 games to find 10 wins or another permutation of 30 points, whilst I realise these words will have already alerted some vengeful God, who will fuck things up, but, with a decent wind we may approach Christmas in a lot better fettle than last year with potential to kick on.

Yes, Im sure we’re only a Ben Arfa injury away from complete melt down, but might as well enjoy it while we can after a fairly torturous summer.

On to Saturday then, and Hull City head to NE1 and I have to be honest, I’m still a bit sore from our 08/09 home league defeat to this lot. I’ll never forget hearing “You’re being mauled by the tigers” from the Leazes Level 7, when we were gutless and pathetic, and they were the lucky beneficiaries on the day. Then, afterwards seeing the furriest, head to toe, tiger costume bounce down Barrack Road making ‘mauling’ hand signals at the meanest, most hostile and bad tempered home support for years, whilst they screamed at an empty office window for Denis Wise to leave and didn’t even recognise our jovial visitor was a real ‘parody moment.’

Sometimes I still have to remind myself that Phil Brown (he’d be ideal for the Mackems when they’ve had enough of Di Canio’s nonsense you know) is no longer at Hull, and it is of course the former Mackem wannabe turn-tablist, house DJ at the SoS, multi-chinned, scenty-bottled, faux Geordie, prick, Steve Bruce who wears the XXXXL manager coat at Hull these days.

Mrs Doubtfire has had a bit of a mixed bag on the transfer front in the summer. He nabbed the excellent, Tom Huddlestone from Spurs for £5m, borrowed Jake Livermore from the same club, signed Maynor Figueroa and George Boyd on frees, but for reasons best known to himself, he exchanged real, proper money for both Curtis Davis and an Emu from Sunderland. They also signed that ex-Rangers GK who once stuck his fingers up at the camera when sub for Scotland and have borrowed Danny Graham from down the road. Oh and Steve Harper from us.

Hull’s away form, is 2 straight defeats, a 2-0 at Man City (where they played a hell of a lot better than we did) and a routine 2-0 at Chelsea. To be fair, most would have expected the Tigers to lose these 2 fixtures and they did win on the road in the league cup, 1-0 at Leyton Orient.

Irish midfielder, Robbie Brady has 2 goals. The Tigers can select from a fully fit squad to and have no suspensions.

Team News

So Cheick Tiote wasn’t immediately recalled to the side vs. Villa and the performances of Anita and Sissoko wouldn’t warrant a switch for this fixture either. In fact we appeared to come through the Villa game with no new injuries, so unless there’s a injury picked up in training, then I wouldn’t expect any changes to the team at Villa Park.

Cisse needs to look a bit sharper but as I have now been saying this for longer than 12 months, perhaps that little hot streak from Feb-May, 2012 was a complete fluke? Other than playing Remy down the middle and Gouffran wide left, I cant really see much alternative to Cisse at the moment though.

Injured

Massadio Haidara – knee – no return date

Ryan Taylor – Knee – not expected back this year

Possible Team (4-3-3)

1.Krul: 2. Debuchy, 5. Yanga-Mbiwa, 6. Coloccini, 3. Santon: 7. Sissoko, 4. Anita, 8. Cabaye: 10. Ben Arfa. 9. Cisse, 11. Remy:

Subs

Elliot, S. Taylor, Shola Ameobi, Tiote, Gutierrez, Dummett, Gouffran

Referee: Martin Atkinson

History vs Hull City

We’ve not often met the Tigers in the league, however, when we have, they’ve not been particularly, ordinary games. The cups have been a mixed bag too!

1989/90 Won 2-0 as we looked to bounce back to the top flight at the first attempt, 2 Mark McGhee goals did the business yet all the way home I’d prattle on about John Gallacher’s performance.

1990/91 A 1-2 defeat. A  very grim day unless you liked pitch invasions or really wanted to see John Watson and Lee Makel in a Newcastle shirt. Lee Clark’s goal the undoubted highlight as we ended the season with a home defeat and I took some SJP turf home to be washed in my jeans pocket

1997/98 2-0 with goals from Des Hamilton and Grandad, Ian Rush. Not one to be remembered

2008/09 1-2, A Xisco goal, but an absolute disaster. Anyone who says public showings of dissatisfaction inside the ground are acceptable couldn’t have been at this game! N’Zogbia watching a banner whilst Hull broke upfield for King to score a goal, when actually a point would have kept us up in the end!

2008/09 0-1 FA cup defeat. With extra time looming, Daniel Cousin cheered us all up by letting us go home on 90 minutes. I don’t think I met anyone afterwards who actually gave a fuck.

Hull Fanzines

City Independent  http://www.hullcityindependent.net/

Amber Nectar  http://www.ambernectar.org/

Hull City Mad http://www.hullcity-mad.co.uk/feat/edx5/fanzines__websites_section/index.shtml

Some paper back stuff here http://www.footybooks.com/index.php?cPath=3_124

Predictions

Win 2-1.

Danger Men

There’s always the chance of one of the Mackems notching and Huddlestone is a quality player. Expect them to be well drilled at set pieces.

CHRIS BETTS. 

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